The Tamaraw: new findings about its endangered status

The Tamaraw, also known as the Mindoro dwarf buffalo, is a critically endangered species of ungulate native to the island of Mindoro in the Philippines. It is one of the world’s rarest and most endangered animals, with very few left in the wild.

In January of this year, a new scientific paper was published in the Animal Conservation journal titled “Cast away on Mindoro island: lack of space limits population growth of the endangered tamaraw“.

In this article, the authors used a 22-year time series of tamaraw counts to estimate the annual population growth rate and possible density-dependence of the species. To clarify, density-dependent processes occur when population growth rates are positively or negatively regulated by the density of a population.

Consequently, they found that even though the Tamaraw population was increasing at a +5% rate yearly, their geographic range was simultaneously decreasing. This means they found negative density dependence. Which you can translate as the overcrowding of these species hindering their growth rate.

Therefore, their study highlights the fact that, despite the continuous population growth over the last two decades, the long-term viability of the Mount Iglit-Baco Natural Park tamaraw population remains uncertain.

In this blog post, we’ll take a closer look at the Tamaraw, its decline, and what can be done to save this unique animal from extinction.

What is a Tamaraw?

The Bubalus mindorensis (scientific name of the Tamaraw) is a large ungulate. As we explained in a past post about the Sichuan Takin’s endangered status, ungulates are mammals with hooves or toenails that are modified for support and movement. People commonly refer to them as “hoofed animals.”

A defining characteristic of ungulates is that they are herbivorous. You can find them in various habitats, including grasslands, forests, deserts, and mountains. Examples of more common ungulates include deer, antelope, cattle, horses, zebras, giraffes, and many others.

Where do Tamaraws live?

Geographic range

Tamaraws are endemic to the island of Mindoro, Philippines. As of today, you can find them in a few isolated populations scattered across Mindoro, with the majority of their population living at the Mounts Iglit-Baco Natural Park.

There is speculation among researchers that the preferred dwelling place for the species is at the forest’s perimeter, as this would grant them easy access to foraging, water, and protective cover.

What do Tamaraws look like?

Physical appearance

The tamaraw is a compact buffalo species that have a greyish-black hue, characterized by a stripe that runs along their spine and white markings on the inner part of their forelegs.

Their total height at the shoulders is 106 cm. Head and body length is 220 cm, and tail length is 60 cm.

They also possess light markings on their forehead that resemble eyebrows, and some individuals may have white spots on their lower cheeks or a white crescent shape on their throat.

Both male and female tamaraws have robust horns that point backward and have a triangular shape at the base, remaining thick for most of their length and only tapering to a narrower and more rounded shape towards the tip. The horns of males are typically longer and thicker, growing up to 51 cm in length.

What do Tamaraws eat?

Diet

Tamaraws are herbivorous animals considered grazers. They primarily consume Cynodon arcuatus, Digitaria sanguinalis, Eleusine indica, Sorghum nitidum, Paspalum scrobilatum, Alloteropsis semialata, and Vetiveria zizanoides.

During the rainy season, they also feed on young bamboo shoots, specifically Schizostachyum spp.

This species is naturally active during the day and typically feeds during daylight hours. However, due to increasing human activity during the day, some have been forced to switch to a nocturnal lifestyle to avoid contact with humans.

Are tamaraws dangerous?

Behavior

Although they are solitary and will avoid human contact at all costs, they can be aggressive toward humans. Especially males.

Another interesting fact about their behavior is that males and females don’t tend to hang out much. And when they do interact, their interactions are short-lived and limited to the breeding season.

How many Tamaraws are left?

Conservation status

In march 2022, the UN Development Program in the Philippines reported an estimate of the tamaraw population. This estimate is about 600 tamaraws, with 480 in Mounts Iglit-Baco Natural Park.

The Tamaraw Conservation Program (TCP), which operates under the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), has been conducting annual tamaraw counts within the core zone monitoring (CZM) since the year 2000.

These counts take place across 18 designated vantage points covering an area of almost 2200 hectares within the CZM. They result in an annual index of the tamaraw’s relative population abundance.

The tamaraw counting process is rather invasive for the MIBNP ecosystem because it involves the burning of grasslands a few weeks ahead of each count to increase visibility and to retain tamaraw to areas with nutrient-rich young grasses. For the past 22 years, between 1200 and 1500 ha of grasslands were intentionally burned each year for the purpose of monitoring tamaraw abundance.

 Bonenfant, C., Rutschmann, A., Burton, J., Boyles, R., García, F., Tilker, A. and Schütz, E. (2023), Cast away on Mindoro island: lack of space limits population growth of the endangered tamaraw. Anim. Conserv.. https://doi.org/10.1111/acv.12842

Why are Tamaraws endangered?

Threats

The most prominent threat faced by the tamaraws is poaching. The truth is that over several decades, this has been something affecting their conservation.

We found support for a source-sink dynamic of the tamaraw population linked to poaching and evidenced by a clear spatially structured pattern in the local population growth rates.

Bonenfant, C., Rutschmann, A., Burton, J., Boyles, R., García, F., Tilker, A. and Schütz, E. (2023), Cast away on Mindoro island: lack of space limits population growth of the endangered tamaraw. Anim. Conserv.. https://doi.org/10.1111/acv.12842

Another important threat to the tamaraws’ survival is habitat loss due to agriculture and the burning of grassland in the CZM.

Lastly, hunting is a significant threat responsible for tamaraw reduction.

Conservation efforts to save the Tamaraws

Several conservation efforts exist to save the Tamaraws, including:

Tamaraw Conservation Program (TCP)

Initiated in 1979, this program aims to protect the species and its habitat through various measures such as anti-poaching patrols, habitat restoration, and public awareness campaigns.

Protected Areas

Currently, the tamaraws live mostly in the 2,500-hectare strict protection zone within Mts. Iglit-Baco Natural Park on Mindoro Island, Philippines. There they are safe from poachers and hunters and have a guaranteed safe habitat.

Habitat Restoration

The DENR and various NGOs are working on habitat restoration programs to improve the quality of the Tamaraw’s habitat and to ensure the availability of food and water sources.

Research and Monitoring

Experts conduct regular monitoring of the Tamaraw population to track population trends and identify factors that affect the species’ survival. There is also research to better understand the species’ ecology and behavior.

Community Involvement

The conservation efforts involve local communities through education and awareness programs, as well as providing alternative livelihoods to reduce the pressure on the Tamaraw’s habitat and reduce poaching.

Conclusion

In conclusion, recent findings published this year in the Animal Conservation journal, showcase the endangered status of the tamaraw as still present, despite a good growth rate. This is due to the geographic range of this species being restricted by habitat loss and therefore, leading to overcrowding.

If you care about recent findings about endangered animals’ status, you might be interested in this post about the Sichuan Takin. It showcases a paper published this year that proves they are more endangered than the IUCN Red List suggests.